Pressure operated switch



June 13, 1950 R. A. NICHOLSON 2,511,172

' PRESSURE OPERATED SWITCH Filed Dec. 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mediumhjfief'v Em "W wafer J7 P0771/L7 D@ June 13, 195o R, A, MCHOLSON2,511,112

PRESSURE OPERATED SWITCH Filed Dec. 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedJune 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 2s, 1945,serial No. 637,695

1 Claim. l

This invention pertains to fluid handling, regulating, and distributingapparatus, and has as its principal object the provision of a carbonatorand control means therefor for use in conjunction with beveragedispensing systems and the like, whereby water is charged with carbondioxide gas for beverage purposes.

It is a further object to provide carbonating means of increasedefficiency, simplified construction, and optimum reliability inautomatic operation.

Further objects are, the provision in a device of the class describedof: carbonating means and method whereby water at lowered, regulated,temperature is atomized or finely divided and projected into anatmosphere of carbon dioxide gas for substantially instantaneousabsorption; to the provision of means in the carbonating chamber forrefrigerating the carbonated Water for retention of the absorbed` gas;to the provision of means structurally and `operatively associated withthe carbonating chamber for automatically regulating the injection ofwater into the gaseous atmosphere independently of any gas pressuresexisting in said chamber and within close limits as regards volumetricliquid levels to be vmaintained in said chamber; to the provision Aof acarbonator of unitary construction embodying the foregoing features andfor practice of the foregoing method; to the provision of automaticliquid-level control means of general application and particularlyadapted for cooperation with said carbonator as a structural partthereof.

Additional objects and aspects of novelty in the invention relate todetails of construction and operation of one preferred embodimentthereof described hereinafter in View of the annexed drawings in which:

Fig. l is a vertical section through the novel carbonator and theliquid-level control means forming part thereof, with diagrammaticconnections to certain iluid supply and dispensing lines;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, to enlarged scale, of the liquid-levelcontrol means viewed from a side adjoining that shown in Fig. 1;

Referring to Fig. 1, the novel carbonator includes a metal chamber I0having openings in its upper and lower ends, and a top closure plate IIremovably secured in lposition by bolt means I2 engaged in a top ange I3drawing the plate and its gasket I4 against the upper peripheral edgeportion of said chamber.

lDepending centrally of the top closure plate is a water injecting andatomizing means in the form of a head I5 provided with a plurality ofspray or nozzle outlets I6, and connected to a source of supply ofcooled water through conduit or line I1. n

Means providing an atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas in the regionadjoining said injecting means, includes a conduit or pipe I8 adaptedfor connection with a source of supply I9 of CO2 gas under pressure ofapproximately 30# p. s. i. such as supplied in commercial cylinders wellknown in the art, said pipe having an outlet 20 situated substantiallyopposite the injecting head I5.

The water vto be carbonated enters chamber I0 from line II through theinjecting head I5 and will be permitted to reach a predetermined levelin the chamber, which level is desirably automatically maintained bymeans hereinafter described; and in order to prevent spilling of the gasfrom the carbonated water following carbonation, that is, to preventescape of any appreciabl'e amount of absorbed gas from the water, theinterior of said chamber and its liquid content is refrigerated, as bya'coil 2| having terminal refrigerant inlet and 'outlet connections 22and 23 connected with a source 24 of temperature-controlledrefrigerating fluid, for example any of a number of refrigeratingmachines of conventional type well known in the art, and adapted tocirculate a refrigerating or cooling medium through coils 2I and therebymaintain a desired temperature in the carbonated water in chamber I0,said water being drawn off for beverage purposes through dispensingoutlet 25 into dispensing line 26.

Means for automatically maintaining a predetermined liquid level inchamber IIJ includes a weight-sensitive member and closure in the natureof a diaphragm 3H clamped between a bottom flange 3l on the chamber anda second chamber 32 secured to said flange as by screws 33 (Fig. 3also), said diaphragm being sealed to prevent leakage from the bottom ofchamber I0 and being yieldableto the weight of the carbonated water fordisplacement, vertically, of a central post 34, Fig.v 3, attached "tothe diaphragm by nut 35, said post guidedly reciprocating on a stud 35having a bottom portion 3'I xed on the inner bottom portion of chambermember 32.

Spring means 38 on the guide stud normally urges the post portion 34,and hence 'the connected diaphragm 30, upwardly against the weight ofwater in chamber I0, and when the desired volume of water is present insaid chamber I0, its weight acting through or against diaphragm 30overcomes the eiort of spring 38 to ex the diaphragm downwardly andactuate certain control or switch means 40 accordingly.

The control or switch means 40 is preferably in the nature of a smallmercury switch of known type, and usually having a cylindrical glassenvelope, which is held in a clamp 4I, Fig. 3, attached in turn to asleeve 42 rockably mounted by nut and bolt means 43 between the upperfree ends 44 of a U-shaped bracket 45 secured to the inner floor of thesecond chamber member 32 adjacent the diaphragm post structure, in therelationship shown in Fig. 2.

An operating connection between the diaphragm or weight-sensitivestructure, and the control or switch means is provided bya pin `iii),Fig. 2, secured as at 5l, to a clamp 52-engag ing the switch 40 at apoint radially displaced from the rocking axis aorded bythe switchmounting means 42--43-44, said pin, as in Fig. 3; projectinghorizontally into a slot 53 in the post portion 34 of the diaphragm,such that as the latter moves up and down responsive to changes in waterlevel, this motion is transmitted through pin 50 to switch clamp 52 torock the switch d correspondingly.

Means eliminating or nullifying the loading eiect of gas pressures inchamber I0, upon the weight-sensitive means, includes a by-passing pipeor line 6B, Fig. 1, having an upper inlet opening 6| in chamber l0 aboutopposite the injecting nozzle l5, and a lower terminal outlet 62connected with a known type of moisture trap 53 continuing communicationof line 60, through piping 64 into the bottom portion of the secondchamber portion 32, as at 65, by reason of which contrivance thepressure within chamber l0, on one side of diaphragm 3U, is communicatedto chamber 32 and the opposite side of said diaphragm B, balancing outany loading effect of such pressure upon the diaphragm, so that thelatter is subjected only to the displacing effort of the carbonatedwater in the main or upper chamber l0, on the one hand, and to thecountereffort of the spring means 38, on the other hand.

Connections through said switch 40 for controlling ow of water tochamber Ill includes leads T0 from the switch to a known type of waterpump 1l, Fig. l, through power source l2, such that when the switch isin its normal position, as shown with the diaphragm 30 lowered underweightrof water in chamber IU, switch 4I] is open and pump means 1| isnot operating; but when the water level in chamber I0 drops to apredetermined level, as by withdrawal of carbonated water throughdispensing line ZB, the effort of spring 38 acting through post means 34flexes the diaphragm upwardly, thus rocking the switch 40 to closecircuit from power source 12 through leads 10 to energize the pump means1|, which will force water from a cold water supply source 15 throughline l1 into the atomizing injection means l5. The cold water, broken upinto ne particles by means I5, intermingles with the gas, in the upperportion of chamber I3, adsorbing optimum volumes thereof and returns toliquid state in the bottom of the chamber lil; when the liquid levelagain reaches the desired and predetermined point, the weight of theliquid, that is, the carbonated water, will overcome the effort ofspring or counteracting means 38 to restore the diaphragm 30.110 normal,upwardly displaced, condition, with a corresponding restoration of theswitch 40 to normal open circuit condition, thereby stopping thewater-supplying or pump means 1I until the foregoing cycle of operationsshall be repeated responsive to a further drawing oi of carbonated waterthrough the dispensing line 26.

Means for automatically' or manually relieving excess gas pressure inchamber l0 includes a relief valve 80, Fig. l, mounted on the head plateIl and adapted to act automatically, when greater than a predeterminedpressure exists in chamber l to permit escape of gas through port 8 I,said valve being operable manually by manipulation of toggle handle 82with the same result.

In the foregoing construction, it is understood that the sensitivity ofthe diaphragm 30 to liquid displacement may be determined by selectionof appropriate spring tension 38, and by appropriate dimensioning in avertical sense of the slot 53 for the switch operating pin 50.

Summary of operation The operation of the device and practice of themethod hereinbefore described in detail is summarized in view of Fig. 1with the assumption that a predetermined volume of carbonated water, forexample something over half of the capacity of chamber I0, is to bemaintained` in the carbonating chamber at all times.

Accordingly, the tension of the diaphragm compensating spring 38 isselected to yield under the weight of said predetermined volume of wateron the diaphragm 3i), by reason of which the diaphragm post structure 34is .pressed downwardly thereby tilting the switch 40, through the pinand slot means I5il, 5l, 52, 53, Figs. 2 and 3, to dispose the switch inopen circuit condition. At this time, no water is leaving the injector i5, but there is a constant head of gas from supply line I8, I9 inchamber I, adequate to force the water through the dispensing line 26.Assuming that now a substantial quantity of carbonated water iswithdrawn from chamber ID for beverage purposes or the like, a point ofliquid level will be reached in chamber if! where the liquid contents ofthe latter becomes insufcient to overcome the effort of diaphragm spring38, so that the diaphragm 3B and associated post structure and switchactuating means 34, 50, 5|, 52, 53, tilts the switch clockwise, Fig. l,to close an operating circuit from power source 12 to energize the waterpump means 1l, thereby forcing cold water from source at considerablepressure, for example about 60# p. s. i. through line VI and into theinjecting means l5, said cold water issuing from the atomizing nozzlemeans I6 in nely divided state to mingle with the carbon dioxide gas inthe upper portion of chamber IIJ and absorb optimum volumes thereofquickly, the water particles and adsorbed gas content collecting inliquid state as carbonated water in the lower portions of chamber l0until a sumcient weight of such water accumulates (very rapidly) todepress diaphragm 30 and restore the switch 40 to open circuitcondition, stopping the pump and the atomizing operation. In accordancewith this method, the water supplied to the carbonator is already atreduced temperature in order that the greatest volume of carbon dioxidegas may be absorbed when the nnely divided water is exposed to the gas;by atomizing the water the surface area of any given volumeV thereof isvastly expanded so that the absorption occurs almost instantly, incontrast to the action of prior carbonators which rely upon mechanicalagitators and the like for commingling the gas and water.

Retention of the absorbed gas is further assured by cooling thecollected or reformed water and its gas content within the carbonatoritself, as by the means 2|, 22, 23, 24.

The gas pressure on opposite sides of the control diaphragm 30 isbalanced by the by-passing means 60, 6|, 62-55, the trap 63 serving toprevent accumulation of moisture in the lower` or second chamber 32.

The device and method of the present disclosure may be utilized inconjunction with various beverage dispensing systems, for example thatshown in my copending application Serial No. 616,855, alone or inconjunction with the carbonated water circulating means disclosed in mycopending application Serial No. 611,633, the .present disclosuresconstituting an inventive extension of the liquid-level controlling andcarbonating means shown in my copending application Serial No. 611,634,now Patent No. 2,481,612 granted Sept. 13, 1949.

It is contemplated that the apparatus and method herein set forth may beutilized for other than beverage purposes, and for other thancarbonating purposes, and no limitations on the scope of the inventionare intended by the specific recitations herein set forth, excepting asmay be expressly .provided in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A liquid-operated control unit for mounting on open bottomed chambers incarbonators and the like, said unit comprising a cup-shaped vesselhaving a mounting flange on its open mouth portion and adapted to beclamped by means engaging said flange to close the bottom of a chamberas aforesaid, a diaphragm seated and clamped on said iiange between thelatter and a rim portion of said chamber, a depending post securedcentrally of said diaphragm, an upstanding guide stud for said post andsecured centrally on the floor of said vessel, a spring between saidstud and post to urge the latter and said diaphragm normally upward, abracket mounted adjacent said post on the floor of the vessel, a switchrockably mounted by said bracket,

-an operating pin extending from said switch into a slot in said postfor movement responsive to displacements of said diaphragm to actuatesaid switch, and sealed leads in a Wall of said vessel for conductormeans connected to said switch and .passing outwardly of said vessel,and means in a wall of said vessel providing egress for displaced air.

RALPH A. NICHOLSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 978,103 Bastian Dec. 6, 19101,075,408 Deckebach Oct. 14, 1913 1,580,085 Horn et al Apr. 6, 19261,611,321 Schmidt Dec. 21, 1926 2,235,357 Conklin Mar. 18, 19412,271,896 Lewis Feb. 3, 1942 2,339,640 Holnger Jan. 18, 1944

